Element for automatic fire-extinguishers.



E. M'. (300K.

-ELEMENT FIOR AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. APPLICATION, FILED 0516.26. 1914.

1,155,339. Patented 001;. 5,1915.

EMANUEL M. COOK, OF INDIANAIQLIS, INDIANA.

ELEMENT FOR AUTQMATI'C FIRE-EXTXNGUISHERS.

messes.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patearec'oet. a. rain.

Application filed December 28 1914-. Serial no. 87935-1.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EMANUEL M. Coon, a citizen of the United States, residing in Indianapolis, in the county of Marion, in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elements for Automatic Fire-Extinguishers, of whichthe following is a specification.

Sprinkler heads, fire doors and other de vices used in automatic systems for protecting buildings against fire usually have an element for holding the door, the cap of the sprinkler head, or some other part in normal position until the element is subjected to a predetermined temperature. These elements are made up of a plurality of parts secured together by solder fusible at a low temperature. The properties of this solder are such that it is subject to cold flow, which permits the parts to creep relatively to each other and the objections to this are well known in the art. It is essential in ele ments of the class in question that the parts he held in their normal positions with absolute certainty until subjected to the predetermined temperature aforesaid and is equally as essential that when'said temperature is reached the parts shall separate, so that the element will release the part which it normally holds in normal position.

The object of all inventions in this class of devices is to accomplish these results and the object of the, present invention may therefore be said to be to accomplish them with greater certainty than has been heretofore attained.

To this end the invention consists in the features of novelty that are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing which is hereby made a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is an axial section on an enlarged scale of a sprinkler head having an element of the link type embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the two similar principal parts or plates of which the element is made up. Fig. 3 is an axial section ofa sprinkler head of the strut type, such as is used in springler heads, embodying the invention.

The improved element is made up of two parts, A and A of identical construction which farein the nature of overlapping plates having the features hereinafter described-fend a called a rocking strut, which is in the form third part, B, hereinafter of a short rod or bar, preferably oi elliptical shape in cross section, and of a length ust equal to the Width of the plates, A, A. Each of the plates is odset at right angles, on opposite sides of its mid-length to provide on its inner face a shoulder (C or C) the working face of which is at right angles to the contacting inner faces of the plates, the plates being arranged with the flat inner faces of their end portions squarely in contact with each other and secured together by a thin film of solder fusible at a predetermined low temperature. The shoulders are located at equal distances from the midlength of the plates and are of a depth equal to the width of the rocking strut, B, thereby forming a recess or pocket which is occupled by said rocking strut which latter is held in place by solder of the kind above mentioned. Each of the plates has near one cf its ends. an opening (D, D) and has at its opposite end a slot (E, E). The plates are reversely arranged (2'. e. the opening of one is opposite the slot of the other) and the slots which extend to the ends of the plates in which they are respectively formed receives the outer portions, f, of the lever arms, F and F, of the toggle G, of the sprinkler head (in this embodiment'of'the invention). Said outer portions, f, extend through the openings of the plates and have concave seats for hearing against the plates at the outer ends of the openings through which they pass.

The part, B, has been termed, a rocking strut because in the normal condition of the parts it performs the function of an absolutely rigid strutwhieh receives the strain passing longitudinally through the element,

and positively prevents the plates from moving endwise relatively to each other (01" creepmg upon each other) whereby the solder joint is relieved of all strain, while when the solder joint fuses this same part, B, rocks about its knife-edge surfaces of contact with the shoulders, C, C and forces the plates apart--directly away from each other. The rocking strut has line or knifeedge like bearing surfaces; B, B", which bear against the shoulders, C, C, and these lin. bearing surfaces lie in the plane of its major axis, which is approximately parallel with the adjacent faces oi the plates and.

with the line of strainpassing through the element when intact. This may be accomplished by making the part, 33, of elliptical cross section as shown in Fig. 1 or by forming it with knife edge bearing surfaces as shown in Fig. 3. i

Assuming the parts to be in normal po sitions and condition, as shown in Fig. 1, the line of strain, so long as the solder joint holds, is through the major aXis of the rocking strut and at right angles to the shoulders, C, C, as indicated by the line a. But as soon as the solder joint fuses and permits of the separation of the parts, several lines of strain develop. One will be upon the line, b, which extends from the line of contact between the bearing surface, B, with the shoulder, C,- to the line or point of contact between the plate, A, and the leverarm F, and the other will be upon the line, a, which extends from the line of contact between the bearing surface, B, with the shoulder, C, to the line or point of contact between the plate, A, and the lever-arm, F. These two lines, I) and 0, are parallel, but upon opposite sides of the major axisvof the rocking strut, so that the tendency will be to rock the latter about its bearing sur- .rocking strut occupying said recess and having line-bearing-surfaces contacting with said shoulders respectively, said plates having bearing surfaces adapted to contact with the parts to be held in normal positions. said bearing surfaces being located upon opposite sides of a plane passing through the lines of contact between the rocking strut and the shoulders.

2. An element for automatic fire extinguishers having, in combination, two identical plates arranged face to face and offset at right angles on opposite sides of their mid-length, thereby providing oppositely presented shoulders disposed at right angles to the plane of the meeting surfaces of the plates and forming between said plates a recess or pocket, a rocking strut occupying said recess or pocket said strut being of eliptical cross section in a plane which is perpendicular to said shoulders and also to the meeting surfaces of the plates whereby said strut has line-bearing-surfaces contacting with the shoulders, respectively, in a plane parallel with the plates, said plates having also bearing surfaces adapted to contact with the parts to be held, the bearing surfaces last aforesaid being located in proximity to a plane passing through the points of contact between the rocking strut and the shoulders on the plates.

3. A1. element for automatic fire apparatus having, in combination, two identical overlapping plates, offset at right angles on opposite sides of their mid-length, thereby providing at opposite ends of the element. end portions having surfaces which cont-act with each other in parallel planes and providing also oppositely presented shoulders having bearing surfaces lying in parallel planes at right angles to the planes first aforesaid and leaving between said shoulcontacting end portions of the plates. said cont-acting end portions being soldered together whereby when the parts are asse1nbled and the solder joint remains intact, the

line of strain will be approximately in the common plane of the lines of contact between the rockin, strut and the shoulders. EMANUEL M. COOK. Witnesses:

LEURO I. CLARK, LUCILE RoUTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the "Commissioner of Yatents,

' Washington, D. G. 

